October Unboxing & Review: Ipsy & Sephora Play

Ipsy and Sephora time! The picture of me includes all of the products in some way, in case you were wondering what they looked like in practice.

Ipsy

Ipsy sends 5 products each month, based on your preferences, in a cute makeup bag that follows that month’s theme. You can start subscribing to ipsy by clicking here! Here are the products I got this month along with my review, where you can purchase the product yourself, and a rating out of 5 stars.

Ipsy Makeup Bag

I really like this bag! It’s simple, but still elegant and a little dark for October.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Pretty Woman Nail Polish in the shade Wine With Ice, Garcon

I love getting nail polish! I don’t like buying polish, because you never know if you will like the color or consistency, and if you buy inexpensive polish, you’re usually getting what you pay for. But then you don’t know if buying an expensive polish is worth it. Ah, the struggles of trying to tarnish your nails with color.
Anyway, I really like this! I love dark polishes, and this one is a dark burgundy, almost black, which is awesome, because I love black polishes. It was easy to apply, it dried pretty quickly, and it was quite pigmented. If you’re in a hurry, one coat could work!

You can get this nail polish on the Pretty Woman NYC website for just $7.99, and they have loads of other shades too. PLUS, all of the polishes are 5-free, cruelty-free, vegan, as well as free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, petrochemicals, GMOs, and triclosan (woo. that was a mouthful.).

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in the shade Perversion

This is a very smooth eyeliner, but I definitely prefer a liquid liner for my top lash line. However, this is perfect for my tightline and the few times I put liner in my waterline. It is a soft liner, it smudges easily, and it is incredibly pigmented. It’s also 100% cruelty free. This eyeliner pencil came in this big UD cardboard container that couldn’t even fit in the makeup bag. It was a little…. extra.

The Urban Decay website has the full-size eyeliner for $20. That’s a hefty price for a liner, especially a non-liquid liner, but maybe you would pay that for it. (Although I love UD, I’m thinking the price is just for the brand.)

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Tarte Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes™ 4-in-1 Mascara

I have some Tarte mascara, and it’s pretty good, and this one is too! It makes my eyelashes look darker and longer, which is what we all want. Plus, you don’t have to use multiple layers to get the look what you want. This is also vegan and cruelty-free. Solid choice, ipsy.

Ulta has the full size product for $23.00. I probably would not pay that much for a mascara, because that’s a lot for mascara. But if you can get a sample of it at ulta or sephora, take it!

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

MDMflow Liquid Matte Lipstick in the shade Retro

I’ve never heard of this brand, and I think it’s just because it isn’t sold in most makeup stores, at least not from what I can tell. I love getting lipsticks, especially matte liquid lipsticks, so I was super excited to try it out. It dried down fairly well, and it seemed to stay as well. It was very pigmented, and my only complaint was the shade. It fits the “retro” shade name, but it just doesn’t suit me well, and it’s not a color I would choose myself.

This is another full-size I received, and you can buy this lipstick on the MDMflow website for $23.37. That’s also a bit pricey for a lipstick without a following. My KatVonD lipstick is a popular one and it was $20. But if you find a shade you love and you’re willing to pay that much, go for it!

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Hanalei Papaya Enzyme Powder Cleanser

When I first saw this product in my glam bag, I was like “damn. I know I’m not going to like this. It looks gimmicky and I don’t know how I’m supposed to use this.” I got 5 little packets of this powder and I had to look up how to use it. So its a powder that you mix with water in your hand to make a foaming cleanser. It’s supposed to gently remove impurities, restore your skin to a 5.5 pH balance, and it’s good for all skin types, including sensitive skin. It’s paraben, artificial dye, and cruelty free.

It’s actually amazing. I feels so good on your skin while putting it on, it’s easy to use, and my skin feels so soft, and it looks so bright and clean. I actually love this. I’m already on my second packet, and damn if they aren’t gonna get me buying this stuff when I’m done with it. It’s honestly great and it has amazing reviews.

The Hanalei Company website has 14 packets for $20. Honestly, that’s not too bad. This will be on my Christmas list… if I can get mine to last that long.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

That is everything from ipsy! What a great month! Cute bag, and I got products I’m really excited for. This bag was worth over $63! Thanks so much ipsy! And, the rating for this month’s glam bag is…. five stars! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Now let’s see if Sephora Play can do this well!

Play! by Sephora

Sephora is always iffy. Ipsy is almost always great, but Sephora isn’t as personalized to you, so you never know if it will be awesome or not. But, they always have high end brands, so it’s nice to try some expensive products that I would never buy.

This month’s bag looks awesome, and shows different skin tones, saying “public display of complexion”. Then I opened it, and it’s like all skin stuff. I like getting some skin stuff, but it’s a lot.

Becca First Light Priming Filter

So this primer is supposed to be moisturizing and give a subtle glow. It says to use under your foundation or over it as a highlighter. I haven’t tried as a highlighter, though I should try it out. It can be used on any skin type, it’s for dryness, dullness, and uneven skin tone. It’s free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
I’m not a big fan of primers, because I have a hard time finding ones that work for my skin, and this one wasn’t terrible, but I don’t know that I really had a “glow”, but who knows. It was definitely moisturizing, and I LOVE moisturizers! I would really like if sephora would stop sending me primers though.

Sephora has two different sizes: one for $18 and the other for $38. If you think you would like this product, go ahead and buy it! It’s not a bad product, I just don’t think it’s for me.

My rating: ★ ★ ★

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in the shade R230

Whenever I get something that should somewhat match my skin, I’m always disappointed. It’s always 3+ shades too dark, because I have fair skin, but this one is actually pretty great! It’s a little darker than my skin, which is what I use anyway (I know, I’m a phony. whatever.) This one has decent coverage, probably a medium coverage, it feels incredibly light, and it is buildable. It’s supposed to be good for all skin types, and it’s a 2017 Allure Readers’ Choice Award winner. I’m so glad I got to try this, because this is an awesome brand, and it’s always nice to get to try out different foundations.

Make Up For Ever has this foundation at Sephora for $43. Woah. I mean, it’s pretty good, but wow. That’s a lot for just over an ounce of foundation.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

I’ve used setting powder before, and when I set my makeup, that’s usually what I use, but this is some high end powder! It’s light and easy to use. I will definitely start using this, and keep using it until my little pot is finished. The Laura Mercier website says it is oil-free, non-comedogenic, and non-caking. Since it is finer powder, I think that’s why it doesn’t cake up.

The LM website has this powder for $38. That’s quite a bit for such a small amount of product, but if you really like these powders, I would definitely recommend it.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in the shade Moonlight

Either I don’t understand this or it didn’t work for me… or… both? It’s supposed to mix this with your foundation, moisturizer, primers, etc., to add radiance or a “bronzed tint”. I just don’t understand. I tried it, and I’m not sure if it actually works or not. I’m confused as to what it’s real purpose is. There are 6 different shades, and I think some others would be interesting, but I’m not sure who this is supposed to be marketed to.

Sephora has this product for $42. I don’t know why something like this is so expensive, but maybe I’m just missing something.

My rating: ★

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Skin Booster

According to Sephora, this is “a hydrating face serum that delivers a plumped look, preps skin for makeup, and hydrates to smooth the appearance of fine lines”. So you can use this before makeup, or mix in your primer or foundation. I tried this both ways, and although it feels nice, I didn’t really see a difference. It felt like a moisturizer, but I don’t see the purpose of this one either.

This product is sold at Sephora for $41, but I just don’t understand why. I like this brand and the moisturizing feeling, but that seems like a big price for something like this.

My rating: ★ ★

CHANEL Eau de Parfum in the scent Gabrielle Chanel

This is an okay scent. It’s not amazing, but it’s not terrible. I would definitely wear it. It’s subtle, and you just want to keep smelling it to figure out what it reminds you of. It’s a solid choice to send out, because I feel like this one will appeal to many different people.

Chanel has two different sizes: one for $105 and the other for $135. That’s probably all for the name and the bottle.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Not a great month, Sephora. I’m fairly disappointed. I got some great brands, but 1) there was too much skincare for one box, and 2) there is just a lot of stuff I won’t use. This box is worth $44.67, which is good for what I’m paying, but isn’t as much as ipsy this month. The rating for this box is ★ ★ ★

I thought I would do a video for this one, but it really wasn’t worth it, especially with more skincare than makeup. But make sure to follow, like, and check out my instagram!

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Published by Amanda Jane

My name is Amanda, and I am originally from Southwestern Virginia. I'm technically a millennial, but I don't know enough of the lingo. I love cats, true crime, and the color black.
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